Mad Magitech: Tropical Island DLC Expansion Pack

• Character: Ivo Galvan
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

 The saltcured hulls of shipwrecked vessels adorn this shore of the Isle of Blessed Winds like the abandoned shells of enormous hermit carbs, providing shelter within and shade without from the beating sun. The winds, at times tormentous, have stilled to a pleasant ocean breeze that sets the fronds of coconut palms to swaying, and the shadows play upon the one relatively flat and stable surface in the vicinity: a large rock polished smooth by air and water. In terms of workspace, this is about the best that they can get.
 "I expect that if we explore some of the volcanic boulders further down the shore," Ivo is saying, tattered sleeves rolled up for Science, "we might find some caverns that would serve as a contained environment, and when it's time to repair the engines, we'll need a functional laboratory situated in such a place. But to find any ore, we must go inland, and that means crossing the cactus forest."
 This 'forest,' of course, is a desert. The biomes of the Isle are astoundingly varied, transitioning from coral reefs and shoreline to cactus-ridden wind-swept desert to the higher-altitude forested slopes and cliffs of the crowning volcano. The task is, with their very limited equipment and resources, to prepare for the risks of a desert crossing.
 "We were able to tan the hide of the megamarmot we hunted into leather," Ivo expounds, "to make into waterskins. But we must go further to prepare ourselves for the scouring winds and beating sun. We must, despite everything, against all odds--"
 He claps his hands together, expression resolute.
 "--craft a sunburn-protecting lotion!"
 Does it have to be a lotion?

• Character: Argent
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

  Argent listens along with her typical stoic expression, giving only the slightest of nods as Ivo explains the need to explore beyond the desert to find their way to those oh-so-useful mineral deposits. The explanation of the creation of waterskins gets a similar blank look. And then, he expresses the need for protective lotion!
  "Ah." the homunculus states calmly, her expression finally deigning to blink nice and slowly. "While it would often be preferable to manufacture protective equipment in order to traverse such terrain, we currently lack access to sufficient equipment in order to do so. Additionally, doing so requires access to large amounts of materials in order to create sufficient articles of clothing to protect every member of our group. As such, the relative simplicity of this option means it is the current most optimal solution at the current time." she says, not even bothering to pause to let anyone else get a word in. Of course she'd consider alchemy the 'simple' solution.

• Character: Daiby
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

"That's genuinely good thinking," Daiby muses as she walks, followed by a half-dozen of the heartier snakes she's brought along. Those guys aren't gonna be accomplishing much due to their lack of limbs, but at least they could probably fuckin' murder any vermin in an area with... well, best not to meditate upon them.

"A lotion... we're going to need some kind of a fatty base," Daiby muses, "and chemical synthesis of SOME kind to get the... sun reflecty juice, I don't remember the name... though you could just make it an opaque pigment, that could work! Although it might look a little, hm."

A long pause from her.

"... icky, once it had dried..."

• Character: Fabroxo
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

  "Ivo, Ivo, Ivo." Fabroxo has rejoined with his foolhardy apprentice(?) to provide his sage guidance and overwhelming expertise in every conceivable technical arena, after having spent a significant period of time on the island off doing his own thing. What does he have to show for it? Well, he's lost most of his clothing save for his pants, now frayed, stiff with salt, and rolled up to his knees, and he has a frankly incredible tan. He is also surprisingly clean-shaven; moreso than usual, somehow.
  "I won't claim to understand the bizarre constraints you place upon yourself in your pursuit of practical innovations, but I have to say this feels overly simplistic. It's doable, yes, but it just feels so..." This bronzed titan of pinnacle island science scowls deeply, convinced there's a better way. "Mundane. It is all too easy to forget in our discipline of hard facts and steady experimentation that creativity's place is equally valuable. I suppose I'm asking..." Here Fabroxo sighs, even as everybody else gets into lotions like a middle-aged man going through a mid-life crisis gets into salsa.
  "Where is the ART?"

• Character: Ivo Galvan
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

 "My thinking exactly," Ivo brightly replies to Argent, grinning at the homunculus, his frequent lovely assistant (or so he imagines). "You're always so articulate, Argent. We have a sizable supply of coconut oil now," he then says, turning to Daiby, his adored senior (so maybe he's the lovely assistant now). "I kept what I could of the megamarmot lard, as well. And fortunately, we have a safe and ready means of synthesis -- or desynthesis, at least."
 As he looks back to Argent, his gaze sweeps over Daiby's serpentine companions. Accustomed though he is to them, his eyes move on quickly, perhaps not finding her assistants quite so lovely. Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
 "Argent, take a look at these." From his pockets he extracts a handful of unremarkable rocks, most grey, some a dull gold. "I was panning in that stream you and your friends found, Daiby, with a piece of one of the engines--" He sure has gotten used to improvization on these adventures with Reize. "--and I found what I think is sphalerite and pyrite. If I'm not misremembering my practical alchemy, we *should* be able to extract some reflective crystals from them, but a potent and dangerous acid as a byproduct. Would it be safe to--"
 He pauses, halfway through offering up the rocks to Argent like he's presenting her with a gift, to blink at Daiby.
 "Icky how?"
 Before he can press either of them further, however, he falls respectfully silent at Fabroxo's interjection. Ivo furrows his brow, his expression becoming as reflective as the crystals he seeks.
 "Of course," he murmurs. "What with the shipwreck, and Reize's sea madness, I've been so focused on practical solutions... have I lost my sense of wonder...? Mm."
 He gazes up at the blazing sun, lost in thought.
 "Could we traverse the desert itself protected from sun, somehow...?"

• Character: Daiby
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

Daiby gestures at her arm. "Imagine, if you will, that my arm was caked protectively with some sort of pale or white pasty goo stuff that we made without having access to a large amount of a fatty base," she says. "Now imagine that it dried up over the course of an hour. I'd be absolutely caked with it! And more to the point, it'd fall off."

She considers Fabroxo's words.

"Hm..."

"Don't stare at that, you'll go blind," Daiby says to Ivo, presently.

"You could fashion a parasol somehow... we do have all of that marmot leather..."

• Character: Argent
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

  A pale hand reaches out in a quick motion, fingers plucking one of those plain looking rocks from Ivo's hand. Argent's examines it for a few seconds, and then...she pops it in her mouth. The homunculus rolls it across her tongue a few times, then spits it back out to let it land back in her palm, covered in a sheen of saliva. Lovely.

  "Yes. This is sphalerite. You are also correct that this one that bears a resemblance to gold is pyrite." she says, as though she wasn't just tasting a rock. At Daiby's mention of a parasol she turns to the woman, that long, silvery hair swishing with the motion of her head. "Ah. A parasol would protect sufficiently against the sun. However, one made of leather would be of impractical weight for long periods of travel for the less physically inclined members of our party. As such, it would be necessary for other members to take up the task."

  That part is said as she first glances at Fabroxo, then Ivo. Hint hint.

• Character: Fabroxo
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

  Despite his admonishment, Fabroxo cannot help but nod approvingly. Ivo and his weird friends certainly have the basics down; there's nothing WRONG with what they're saying, and it does seem like a solution solution (ha) is well within reach.
  "A valid concern, I had a similar experience not long after we arrived here. I had quite the time after the tropical sun baked my outer layer into a crisp, though happily resources were plentiful enough to provide a quick method of descaling myself." The way he's talking, you'd think he was some kind of snake, too, despite the clear bare-chested evidence to the contrary.
  "Now, my initial instinct, were we to have more advanced material available, would be to simply blot out the sun, but besides lacking means, in my experience there are typically all manner of unpleasant side effects when you affect local climates. Not a mistake you make twice!" With a wry smile, he appears lost in recollection for a moment, though he soon snaps out of it to address the problem at hand, expertly picking up on Argent's subtle hint.
  "Hm, yes, you're absolutely correct, it's ideal to reduce the burden for travel as much as possible. I believe I have two recommendations, should we deem them viable!" Fabroxo presents an finger upright (not that one) to the group, loudly exclaiming, "ONE!"
  "A covered sledge would be wonderful for transporting both people and supplies in a relatively comfortable, efficient manner. HOWEVER, you may be asking, but Fabroxo, how would we tow such a wonderfully convenient and accessible conveyance?"
  He pauses, waiting, expectantly. Making eye contact with anyone who will look at him.
  Hint hint.

• Character: Ivo Galvan
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

Ivo Galvan rolls 1d20>=10.
Comment: Creativity check
Roll(s): 10. Total result is 10. This is a success (by 0).

• Character: Ivo Galvan
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

 "Oh, good," Ivo is saying to Argent with some relief, not reacting whatsoever to the sight of her sucking on rocks. They've been working together for a while now. "I wasn't entirely sure, to be honest. I was worried it might be actual gold." Unreactive, unoxidizing gold. Useless! "If we have the fatty base, as Daiby says, and the reflective crystals, perhaps Laineth would be kind enough to synthesize them... as best we can, under the circumstances. As long as the acid is safely extracted, though, we should be able to mix them even in just a coconut hull, I should think..."
 He glances away from Daiby, having already obeyed her missive to not look overlong into the sun, even if it makes him look contemplative and cool, in his opinion.
 "So," he says, "in this thought experiment, is it *just* your arm that's caked in this goo, or--"
 Sensing Argent staring meaningfully at him, Ivo glances back.
 "Listen," he interjects, grinning playfully, "brawn, brains, and beauty are a lot to ask all from one man. Surely I needn't exert the first given how generously I share the latter two!"
 Then, looking between Argent and Fabroxo, his grin starts to fade. Surely there is some solution to this that does not involve manual labor.
 "Well, given our limitations in constructing complex mechanisms..."
 Ivo taps his chin.
 "...a pack of trained megamarmots?"
 It's a charming mental image, at least.

• Character: Argent
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

  Ivo's bragging gets a long stare from Argent. After a long few seconds she shakes her head, her somehow still perfect hair swishing from side to side. "Given our current situation, we should be making use of all resources as optimally as possible. Refusing to make use of your strength risks our survival. As such, I must request that you make use of your body in order to perform manual labour." Translation: Do the heavy lifting so I don't have to.

  "Additionally, I do not believe we lack sufficient time to fully domesticate and train megamarmots to an acceptable degree. However, it may be possible to do so using already properly conditioned animals."

• Character: Daiby
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

Hint hint hint.

"Leather is fairly heavy," Daiby agrees, "although perhaps you could... hm." She folds her arms and frowns in thought. Her eyes turn towards Fabroxo - "Like a ship!" she says with delight. Then more thinking. ("Oh, it'd be all over," she asides to Ivo. "Can't you just imagine how awful it would look?")

Trained marmots. No.

"Well, I don't think it'd be easy to set up my little friends to do a pulling of any real weight," Daiby says to Argent. "But -- what about sails?"

• Character: Fabroxo
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

  "Yes, Ivo!" To his credit, Fabroxo seems pleased to have somebody else following his thought processes, rather than be upset over his thunder being stolen.
  "Now, I have not personally performed a comprehensive survey of the local wildlife, nor have I seen one of these Mega Marmots," he enunciates it very clearly as two words, "But from the sound of it they would serve adequately for our needs. Even should they naturally possess a ferocious demeanor, I am confident that the strategic use of reason can impress our cause upon them." There's something strangely sinister about the way he says it.
  "Now, time permitting, I do believe we could work our way up to a rudimentary engine through a combination of intelligent clay oven design and the many nearby derelict vessels and plentiful ore deposits, but aggressive domestification of the local fauna seems like a far more direct, time-efficient approach." Then, however, the tanned polymath's eyes light up, as he hears a suggestion he HADN'T thought of!
  "Ah, utilizing the wind itself? A wonderful idea, and so much fun to engage with! So many weight to surface ratios to calculate, and so much inspiration to be derived from the derelicts own rigging for design!" Fabroxo rubs his hands together excitedly.
  "Ah, but how can we choose only one solution when both appeal so much in their own ways? Perhaps we need not?"

• Character: Ivo Galvan
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

 Now we're cooking with the magical equivalent of gas. Aether something.
 "I haven't attempted to salvage any sailcloth that might be remaining from other shipwrecked vessels," Ivo is murmuring, his eyes bright as he scratches his chin, "but if we could combine whatever remnants could be stitched together with some of the luxury fabrics that we unearthed, then some sort of sand-sailing vessel wouldn't be impossible... and if we could catch a strong wind coming down from the mountain, perhaps we could tack against it... and in its absence, the megamarmots could pull us along..."
 Isn't he getting rather ahead of himself? As Argent observes, domesticating wild animals is no simple task, especially in the short term. But such is the nature of these endeavors. It is madness, yes, but not Sea Madness. It is Mad Magitech.
 "What about a carrot and stick approach?" he wonders aloud, eyes wide. "We gather as many iceplant fruit as we can to tempt the megamarmots, and we intimidate them with the most imposing of Daiby's serpentine allies... an iceplant and snake approach. Whip them into a frenzied charge and the sail might even bear us aloft..."
 Now we're getting Mad.

• Character: Daiby
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

Daiby nod-nods her head. "That's right! A lot of sail ships on the public lagoons have little motors in case the wind's poor or they have to maneuver in the dock area," Daiby enthuses to Fabroxo. At the rest of it, Ivo's executing on the plan a great deal -- "Hmmm! We could always put one of them in a basket, with visibility to steer the marmots," Daiby muses. Then she blinks several times. "And if you do need an engine, and you're already taming these big creatures, could you have the young ones run on a wheel to turn something? Now you have three ways to go."

CHILD LABOR! *sad marmot noise*

• Character: Argent
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

  "...I believe that Ivo has become intoxicated with the prospect of performing unusual scientific endeavours." Argent says, stating in a roundabout manner that Ivo is drunk on mad science. The mention of luxury fabrics, however, seems to have caught the homunculus' attention.
  "Ah. Ivo, I do not believe that luxury fabrics would be of sufficient durability to use in such a manner. They would be required to undergo severe strain without undamaged, which I do not believe will be possible. As such, an optimal use of such materials would be to fabricate items that would be expected to undergo lesser strain."

  It's at this point that the homunculus looks down, silvery eyes regarding her pretty white dress which either by some miracle or an exploitation of alchemy seems to have remained completely undamaged. But if she could maintain her clothing so well, surely she'd offer the service to the rest of the group, right? So it must be sheer luck. Definitely.

  "I believe a suitable application for these fabrics would be in the creation of more suitable clothing for the current environment." Translation: Make me some beachwear, Ivo.

• Character: Fabroxo
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

  "Yes, YES!" Fabroxo becomes more and more animated, as though the spirit of technological achievement itself is contained within, struggling to burst out in a terrible explosion of math and animal cruelty. "So fortunate are we, even separated from civilization, to have such exhilarating challenges laid before us! And such varied avenues of exploration, this is exactly what I was hoping for!"
  So moved is he that tears begin glistening at the corners of Fabroxo's eyes. He basks in the emotion, indulging for just a moment, before wiping the tears away with a beatific smile.
  "Ivo, I shall rely on you to coordinate, I simply cannot wait any longer! I shall inspect the derelicts at once! Immediately, Fabroxo turns and begins jogging toward the water, quickly splashing into the sea. He can be heard calling out to himself just before he dives in and begins swimming toward the nearest wreck.
  "Oh, so much to learn!"

• Character: Ivo Galvan
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

 One can almost see the marmots running on their Daiby-inspired marmot wheel within Ivo's brain as he processes Argent's words. His eyes narrow, expression turning grave, as this matter of serious importance is raised.
 "Then there can be only one compromise," he declares as Fabroxo scampers off, overcome by the collective enthusiasm for Science. "To ensure that our sails are a success, we will have to craft Argent's beachwear with the minimum necessary amount of material."
 There is much to be done. The marmots, large and small, must be captured. Daiby's snake-specific animal taming abilities must be extended, however indirectly, to encompass marmot management. The sturdiest available driftwood, in the absence of proper lumber, must be repurposed into a sledge and wheel, even if they must lash it together with dried palm fronds. And perhaps, on the side, they might make a little sunscreen while they're at it, just in case. Ivo turns to Daiby, resolute.
 "What color do you think would best complement her silver hair?" he asks. "I recall we have burgundy and deep blue fabric..."
 Fashion first. Why are we here if not for the DLC costumes?

• Character: Daiby
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

Daiby shrugs her shoulders, which makes a snake peek out of her hair for a moment to taste the air. As she gives Fabroxo and Argent a glance (Fabroxo to make sure he doesn't instantly die in the water, Argent for several more seconds,) Daiby replies, "Why not both? Unless you think it'd make for too much sewing!"

Back to Argent, she asks, "Do you think you might fit in some of my things? I'd be glad to share!" Daiby's clothing is sufficiently custom-tailored that this is probably not a good move, but she DOES probably have enough Random Specific Garments that they could also be used for materials..........

• Character: Argent
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

  Argent watches Fabroxo plunge into the water and start swimming with an unconcerned expression. Perhaps she's simply accustomed to his mannerisms by now, but it's difficult to tell with her. As he splashes off into the distance she gives Ivo a glance on her way to Daiby. "Ah. While some garments are sufficiently pliable that they can adapt to various bodies, I do not believe this will be the case with your choices of clothing. Additionally, I believe it will be a wise course of action to distract Ivo from the unusual courses of action he is currently considering."

• Character: Ivo Galvan
• 6 months, 4 weeks ago

 "Why *not* both?" Ivo exclaims, seeming to forget his whole 'minimum necessary material' excuse as soon as Daiby speaks her mind. "I'll gather the garments, while you two discuss stylistic concerns...!"
 And so another man dashes off, not into the sea but toward the ship hull that serves as their base, seeking the trunk that contains their luxury fabric treasures and presumably not taking the opportunity to go through Daiby's clothes just because she offered to share. It seems that Daiby and Argent are being given the opportunity to Talk Fashion. How fun. Plus, given Daiby's offer of deconstructing some stray garments, Argent will likely actually have access to as much material as she could want for the style she would prefer.
 ...Are they going to get around to building that sledge at all?